<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9799c7e80680e080216jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1298" height="956"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGzXhBe09gq1Bzvn7tX9ABeTznuIA">Ranju Yadav’s</a> modern take on traditional art injects progressive messaging into <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-representations-of-kathmandus-metamorphosis/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-representations-of-kathmandus-metamorphosis/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG6G0QglI_y52O-zS5JPE6Brdxv3g">Mithila art</a> adorning households in the Nepal Tarai as she transfers heritage from walls to canvas and easel.Touching on issues of patriarchy such as women’s empowerment, dowry and foeticide, Yadav’s work stays true to the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8294#.X3vnSS8RoWp" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8294%23.X3vnSS8RoWp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGHuEXrpT4CHCMllfEINKFs4zO32w">techniques of Mithila art</a> while communicating the need for reform and social justice.The folk art uses the traditional sideway faces, elongated almond eyes and traditional attire for her figures — all hallmarks of Mithila art. Geometric borders and vibrant colours also add to the traditional look and feel as well as techniques like Mokh Chitra and Arpan that pay homage to her roots.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd97d9c7e80680e080217jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1470" height="962"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Despite the organic style, Yadav does not shy from social commentary. Her piece ‘Disaster Tourism’ makes light of the government’s ineffective response to floods in the Tarai, using satire and irony to show feckless politicians ‘inspecting’ the damage from afar.Communicating injustice and societal wrongs through art has always been Yadav’s motivation, and she is an advocate of the real-world benefits of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=6697#.X3vnbS8RoWp" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D6697%23.X3vnbS8RoWp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF4aSsZ473_06fEJYziL_aFh9vPMw">Mithila art in a conservative society</a> skewed by gender imbalance. Many of her painting depict emancipation: women flying helicopters, driving cars, being set free from cages.She says, “I am satisfied if my art manages to enlighten even just one person. Most Mithila women are skilled in traditional art, and if those skills can be applied to canvas, income can be generated, heritage preserved at the same time. The bonus is that they also get to spread message about the need for change.”Her work has catapulted traditional Mithila art onto the international stage, gathering acclaim for preserving cultural values with a painstaking attention to detail. Just one of her pieces, which can take up to a month-and-half to complete, sell for as high as Rs100,000.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9809c7e80680e080218jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="311">Ranju Yadav was born in Paterawa in Saptari, and was brought up learning to paint scenes from the Ramayana and Krishna-Lila on the walls of her home from her mother, aunts and grandmother – just like the art form has been passed down from one generation of Maithil women to the next in the region of an <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nation-bhaktapur,597" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nation-bhaktapur,597&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGUYnSUtf-sOAm3jBVH36Cp-Kmjaw">ancient empire</a> that once spanned today’s India and Nepal and once even included Kathmandu Valley.Despite personal difficulties like losing her father and failing to clear the Civil Service examinations, Yadav persevered and honed her craft after she moved to Rajbiraj to live with her extended family. There, she was called upon to paint walls during festivals.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9839c7e80680e080219jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1298" height="918">But her big break came when Milthila artist Ajit Sah came across her embroidery and artwork. He encouraged Yadav to move to canvas as a medium. “It was then I realised Mithila art can also be a profession. But I struggled initially to adjust from painting walls to painting on canvas. I used a lot of sketch books before finishing my first piece,” she recalls.Now, her work have been displayed in international and national exhibitions. Her first solo exhibition, Colors of Change, ran <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGzXhBe09gq1Bzvn7tX9ABeTznuIA">last year at the Nepal Art Council</a>, during which she caught the attention of the Swiss Ambassador to Nepal Elisabeth von Capeller. Yadav held her second exhibition in August 2019 in conjunction with the Swiss embassy.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9869c7e80680e08021ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="622" height="866"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9889c7e80680e08021bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="478">She has also been awarded for her work, winning a national artwork exhibition organised by the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts from the traditional artwork category in April 2019. Yadav’s plans to broaden her artistic horizon have been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.A weeklong exhibition planned for 7-14 June was postponed indefinitely, while a trip to Europe planned for April was cancelled. Plans to open a Mithila art training workshop in Jhamsikhel in Patan have also been thrown into disarray.Despite this, Yadav is making the best of the time she has during the lockdowns. She recently welcomed a son to the family, with whom she has got to spend time. She says: “There is no point in distressing about cancelled projects. It is a time for reflection, rebirth and spending quality time with my baby.”

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Modern Mithila art that bares injustice

<img width="1478" height="1094" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96f29c7e80680e05dc97jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>An exhibition of contemporary art on Padmasambhava does not just revive the legend of the Buddhist guru, but also displays the wide variety of art practised in Nepal today. These artworks explore spiritual questions like the value of life, afterlife and a world beyond human experiences.Ten artists each bring their distinctive style to the personality of Padmasambhava, the Guru Rimpoche who meditated across the Himalaya, creating along the way what are now important pilgrimage sites. Known as the founder of Vajrayana Buddhism, Padmasambhava was a monk from Swat, in present day Pakistan, who travelled to Nepal to meditate among the mountains, and went on to Tibet. He is still highly revered by many Buddhist communities, including the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/new-newa-art/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newa</a> and Tibetan Buddhists of Nepal.“The teachings of Padmasambhava mark the third turning point in the evolution of Buddhism, and advocate the importance of a guru in attaining salvation. The exhibition wants to convey this particular message,” says art critic Madan Chitrakar.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/turbulent-times/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Turbulent times</a>, Sewa BhattaraiMany of the artworks in this Nepal Art Council exhibition depict the figure of the renowned Rimpoche, but it is the work of Dawa Omu Lama (pictured right) that stands out, with its Padmasambhava etched in bright white lines against a deep red and black background. Departing from traditional colour palettes, Lama chooses a minimalistic theme that gives the appearance of translucence and transcendence.Sahil Bhopal paints a monastery in another planet, in the theme of past, present, and future. “In the past, I saw a monastery in Himachal Pradesh neglected and Padmasambhava’s sculptures were peeling off. Today, it is being restored. Tomorrow I see the guru’s teaching finding new followers,” explains the artist, whose work features aliens and modern technology in hologram. <img width="640" height="960" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96f69c7e80680e05dc98jpeg.jpg" alt="">Other artists have also experimented with the thangka form. Sunil Babu Karki ‘Putu’ has portrayed himself awakening with surprise to Padmasambhava’s light, and Sundar Lama paints Padmasambhava in traditional poses but against neutral backgrounds, as a symbol of timelessness. Bijay Maharjan has depicted the guru, his vajra, and many other traditional items as an interplay between light and shadow, colour and form, that changes as you look at them closely. Bijay Koirala presents Padmasambhava in a more angry form, via a faded painting.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/new-newa-art/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Newa art</a>, Sewa Bhattarai <img width="1350" height="1082" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96f99c7e80680e05dc99jpeg.jpg" alt="">The sculptures and installation artwork also draw viewers. Sculptor Chandra Shyam Dangol provides a traditional interpretation of the guru, with simplified statues in beautiful, glowing black stone. He has also created abstract themes in stone and sand. Sushma Shakya has created an umbrella out of rudraksha beads. <img width="1162" height="1150" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108181148/636a96fc9c7e80680e05dc9ajpeg.jpg" alt="">“An umbrella signifies protection, and is often used over gods. An umbrella of rudraksha beads is meant to give protection to people and devotees,” she says. Suresh Yonzon’s installation art pieces are fascinating: crystals of white, blue and mixed colours that appear luminescent, and are installed on floors and walls. “Some subjects are deep and vast, but that does not mean that we cannot understand them,” says artist Saroj Bajracharya, who also curated the exhibition. “We want to explore Padmasambhava's message of compassion, which is central to our spiritual life.”Appearance of lightNepal Art CouncilUntil 1 December

Guru Rimpoche in a new light

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110813118/636a46d29c7e80680e04d3fbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"/><figcaption>All photos: SEWA BHATTARAI</figcaption></figure>Ishan Pariyar did not intend for his exhibition at Siddhartha Art Gallery to coincide with the raging protests down the street against the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/culture-revolution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guthi Bill</a>, but it so happened that it did. Pariyar’s series, started in 2015, seems prescient today: a crane moves in to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/fixing-what-aint-broke-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismantle heritage</a> buildings, whose lion-like guardians rise up to form a protective guard of honour around the structures.Titled Reminiscences, the paintings are a voice raised for the protection of our culture and heritage, although the artist says he is not an activist.Most of his work depicts boats at sea. “Water is a symbol of time, and the boats are a symbol of life,” says the artist. “I have used boats because they take you from one place to another. Here, the boats take us on the journey of life through time.”Many of the boats contain statues of deities: a golden Avalokiteswar and a large, red-hued Bhairav, among others. Pariyar says the deities symbolise our faith and the traditions they embody. As the boats ply vast bodies of water, sometimes gently floating and sometimes rocked by the waves, some deities floating as the boats capsize, the viewer gets the sense that the gods are delicate, fragile figures. They need protection, like our heritage.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mithila art with a message</a>, Prakriti Kandel<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110813118/636a46d59c7e80680e04d3fcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="780">For Pariyar, it is all part of looking back at history. He sees the deities as the end product of a long process of evolution, and believes that the faith they embody leads to spiritual growth.“Religious monuments are witness to different times and eras, and the moments we are breathing are the reminiscences for the future,” says Pariyar. “The eternal and invisible force of the divine is imprinted in our psyche, thus giving us inspiration to preserve these ancient monuments and beliefs.”Every inch of Pariyar’s paintings is covered by unique textures. The artist is from Pokhara, hence the images of boats, but unlike the colourful ones floating on Phewa Lake his vessels are covered in wood carvings of Kathmandu’s monuments, in earthy browns and dark greys. Lion-like and garuda-like figures appear often protecting temples, the golden sculptures contrasting starkly with the watery background.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/new-newa-art/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Newa Art</a>, Sewa Bhattarai<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110813118/636a46d89c7e80680e04d3fdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="525">The seas and oceans are rendered in minute, oval droplets, even when the colour ranges from a peaceful blue to menacing, stormy green. Pariyar says the texture is of a bitter gourd, because life is bitter and there is no option but to deal with it. However, the visual impact is not bitter — the droplets look pleasantly ornate.Reminiscences, by Ishan PariyarSiddhartha Art GalleryUntil July 9

Turbulent times

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171136/636934239c7e80680e03dfdbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1510" height="1000"/><figcaption>A painting by Ang Tsherin</figcaption></figure>There used to be a time when Tibetan devotional art meant murals and thangkas. Not anymore. An  <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/The-world-beyond-thangkas,3139" target="_blank" rel="noopener">internationally-renowned Sherpa family</a> has given modern meaning to the historic art form.Tulku Jamyang, 41, and his brother <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&amp;v=tAl0ni6iQ14" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ang Tsherin</a>, 50, learnt thangka painting from their famous father, Urgen Dorje Sherpa. He did not just teach his sons the craft of the art, but also the spiritualism behind it.However, as they grew up, the brothers found the format too rigid and formless, and with little room for personal exploration. Even as they turned to more private expressions, however, their creations today  display clear influences from the early roots."My works are not thangka, they portray my personal take on today's society and politics, the feeling of being out of place everywhere, whether as an ethnic minority in Nepal, or an oriental man in the West," explains <a href="http://www.tsherinsherpa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ang Tsherin</a>, whose art often depicts alienation and displacement. Buddhist deities wear socks and underclothes in unconventional postures.Tulku Jamyang (pictured right) lives a hermit-like existence in his studio in Kathmandu, but is a keen observer of the changes he sees around him. A young woman wears a gown of rhododendron clutching on to a Starbucks mug, and in another commentary on the slow pace of development in Nepal seven sloth bears represent the seven provinces of Nepal.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171136/636934269c7e80680e03dfdcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">These and other paintings by Tulku Jamyang are on display and sale at the <a href="http://www.siddharthaartgallery.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=category&amp;layout=blog&amp;id=42&amp;Itemid=73" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Changing Lanes exhibition</a> at the Siddhartha Art Gallery. The artist’s technique is to burn tiny holes with incense on paper that give the works a meticulous dot matrix texture.He combines this technique with western motifs like Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper, Van Gogh's Starry Night, and Marcel Duchamp's urinal. "I include these western motifs because this is how Nepali society is changing," explains Jamyang, who portrays migration and alienation through a painting of Nepalis in different ethnic costumes sitting at a table like in The Last Supper.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171136/636934299c7e80680e03dfddjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Jamyang spent 11 years as a monk in a monastery, which gives his art a dense and spiritually layered appearance. Not only do they contain his own interpretations of the Buddha, but the act of burning holes with incense sticks to create his images is itself a spiritual performance. The process has to be so precise that a single mistake can ruin the entire painting, so for Jamyang the total concentration it requires is like meditation."I use all the pancha tatwa or the five elements that together represent truth: earth, water, air, fire, and water, in my paintings. My canvas is the earth and incense sticks are fire. When I blow on them, I use the air, and the liquid colours represent water. When they are displayed in space, that is the sky element."Ang Tsherin (pictured right), for his part, is self-taught. His abstract style evolved from his own exploration into modern art and interactions with fellow artists of many nationalities. Though his work may look contemporary, he admits the technique is derived from thangka art that he learnt from his father as a child.Though both brothers turned away from thangka, today they find appreciation and concern for the Tibetan and Nepali devotional art form. "As a child, I used to be ashamed that I was learning this art," recalls Tsherin. "At that time it was seen as something uneducated people did for a living, and was not respected. It was cooler to be doctors and engineers."<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171136/6369342d9c7e80680e03dfdejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">It was in the United States in 1998 that Tsherin saw the traditional paintings of his community through Western eyes, began to appreciate its richness and grew concerned about its degeneration – with commercialisation and the loss of the philosophical underpinning of the art.Tsherin relocated back to Nepal last year after 20 years in the US. He adds: “I only realised the value of my heritage after I saw it respected abroad. I now want to pass on that appreciation to the next generation of Nepali artists. If the artworks of living master like my father can be treasured by museums, then it will also inspire a new generation. That will be a step towards conserving it.”Tulku Jamyang agrees: “The artist must survive for the art to survive, so we must take care of the artists. Economic survival is important, and in the case of thangka, so is respect.”At 75, their father Urgen Dorje, continues to be active and is currently restoring a monastery in Tatopani.Changing LanesSiddhartha Art GalleryUntil 29 NovemberRead also:<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/The-world-beyond-thangkas,3139" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The world beyond thankas</a>, Smriti Basnet<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacred survival</a>, Michael Gordan

The craft of art

Recent outrage in Sikkim over an Indian Army expedition climbing <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-kangchenjunga">Kangchenjunga</a>, the world’s third-highest peak, has spiked attention to the need to balance mountaineering jobs with indigenous reverence for sacred landmarks. Kangchenjunga (8,586m) is not a peak as much as it is a mountain range with 16 peaks above 7,000m on the border between India and Nepal -- the word itself means ‘five treasures of the snows’ in Tibetan. Some of the highest prominences like Kangchenjunga West and Kangbachen are in Nepal, while the Main, Central and South Peaks are on the border. Climbing the peak from the Indian side has been banned since 2001 because the indigenous Lepcha community there regard the mountain as the abode of Dzoe-nga, the patron deity of Sikkim, which was an independent Himalayan Kingdom until it was annexed by India in 1975.&nbsp; Buddhists in Sikkim say their saint, Padmasambhava, recognised the mountain as a protective spirit. The state has declared the base of the mountain Kangchenjunga National Park, which covers an area one-third of Sikkim. ‘The act of scaling this sacred peak is not only a matter of serious concern but also a violation of both the prevailing legal provisions and the deeply held religious beliefs of the people of Sikkim,’ read a letter from Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) to Amit Shah, India’s Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation.&nbsp; Tamang continued: ‘We further request Your Honour to take up the issue with the Government of Nepal to ensure that no future expeditions are permitted on the sacred mountain, in deference to the deeply held beliefs and cultural values of the people of Sikkim.’ Kangchenjunga was climbed for the first time exactly 70 years ago by a British team who told King Tashi Namgyal, the Choegyal of Sikkim, that they would not set foot on the summit. Since then, there have been about 532 successful climbs of the peaks and 52 have died while trying.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250628060616_5c268e08cf49f36b79ef9b31933fc2d9bf9a6f65414e7ca06dd028bf04e7ccc1.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250628060616_5c268e08cf49f36b79ef9b31933fc2d9bf9a6f65414e7ca06dd028bf04e7ccc1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1782" height="1178" loading="lazy" alt="Kangchenjunga: too sacred to climb NT"> <figcaption>Indigenous communities in Sikkim held purification ceremonies following the Indian expedition to Kangchenjunga. Photo: THE VOICE OF SIKKIM / FACEBOOK</figcaption> </figure>  <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/peak-climbing-season-2025-s4abrxny">This spring climbing season</a> alone, there were 70 climbing permits for foreigners issued for Kangchenjunga by the Nepal government, and made it to the top while one French climber died.&nbsp; One of the expeditions this year was an Indian Army team led by Col Ranveer Jamwal, who has summited the highest peaks on all seven continents, and Mt Everest thrice. Jamwal’s team was on the final leg of a ‘<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/nimas-summits-mt-kangchenjunga-concludes-historic-har-shikhar-tiranga-mission-successfully/articleshow/121341315.cms?from=mdr">Har Shikhar Tiranga</a>’ (The Tricolour on Every Peak) mission to plant the Indian flag at the highest points of each of India’s 28 states. Kanchenjunga was the last peak they had left, and the hardest, but the expedition put five climbers on the summit. What seems to have incensed the Sikkimese is that while it has banned climbing the mountain from its side, it was an Indian military expedition that went to Nepal to climb the mountain. After news broke of the climb in May, the Sikkim Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association asked people to observe purification ceremonies in temples across the state. Mayalmit Lepcha of the association acknowledged that the Sikkim government was also partly at fault: “I don’t think such an expedition could have gone forward without the state government being informed, so it could have done something to intervene. It shows weakness. What’s done is done, all we can do is carry out these sanctification ceremonies.”&nbsp; In 2000, one year before Sikkim’s ban, the state allowed an Austrian team to attempt Kanchenjunga’s northeast face for a fee of $20,000, on agreement that they would stop 10m before the summit. Despite this, there was outrage over the expedition on the grounds that it violated Indian laws regarding the defiling of religious sites and Sikkim’s rights to maintain its culture after merging with India. The Indian Army expedition was also seen to have circumvented Sikkim’s law and violated religious sensibilities by going through Nepal. While the team may have thought they were respecting Sikkim’s beliefs by finding a way to complete the mission, the people of Sikkim saw it as defilement.&nbsp; The somber mood of the Sikkim people at the ritual contrasts sharply with Jamwal’s sense of accomplishment. “Without a doubt, the most difficult summit of my life,” he told reporters after the climb. “It tested every ounce of our will.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250628060616_ccfe079c78dab788d19fe2080ee8a5d5dcb11de4157316f6d94e5964da097157.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250628060616_ccfe079c78dab788d19fe2080ee8a5d5dcb11de4157316f6d94e5964da097157" data-rendition-name="original" width="787" height="377" loading="lazy" alt="Kangchenjunga: too sacred to climb NT"> <figcaption>Prayer flags along the Sikkim-Kangchenjunga trekking route. Photo: TREKKINGININDIA.COM</figcaption> </figure>  The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-nims-purja">controversial Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja</a> was also on Kangchenjunga this spring the mountain, on a mission to summit all 14 8,000m peaks for a third time. He echoed Jamwal about the tough conditions: “The conditions above camp were extremely tough, with deep snow and challenging terrain—more crevasses than usual.” Nepal’s government has not said anything publicly, but it is unlikely that it will ban climbing on Kangchenjunga, since it is becoming popular with expeditions because of its technical challenges, and overcrowding on Mt Everest. Nepal does have bans in place for some of its mountains out of respect for local beliefs. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/to-open-machapuchre-for-mountaineering-or-not">Mt Machapuchre</a> (6,990m) the imposing pyramid that looms over Pokhara, for example, is seen as an icon of purity by the Gurung people and a symbol of Vishnu by the Hindu communities who live at its base. A strict climbing ban has been in place since 1957, when a British expedition led by Col Jimmy Roberts stopped 45m short of the summit – either because the last bit was too difficult or out of deference to local sentiments.&nbsp; Khumbila that stands above Namche Bazar is only 5,761m high, but like Kanchenjunga is considered the protector deity of the Sherpa people. Gauri Shankar on the Nepal-China border, called Chomo Tseringma by the local community, was off-limits between 1965 and 1979 due to its association with Lord Shiva and Gauri, his consort. Although expeditions are now allowed, there are not too many takers. In Tibet, climbing Mount Kailash is prohibited by the Chinese government because it revered by the Hindus, Buddhists and followers of the Bon faith. Even Mt Everest is regarded as sacred, and its Sherpa name is Chomolungma, Goddess Mother of the Earth.&nbsp; Economically, climbs on Kanchenjunga bring in decent revenue. This climbing season, the 41 permits, at $1,800 each, brought in $73,800. This is somewhat comparable to Makalu, Lhotse, and Annapurna I, but these numbers are dwarfed by the $4 million in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-everest-industry">Everest permits</a>. Revenue from Kanchenjunga climbing permits is something Nepal could potentially forgo if necessary, but the expeditions also provide jobs to hundreds of high altitude guides, porters, base camp support staff and other logistical costs.&nbsp; As the third highest mountain in the world and the tallest in India, there will always be significant motivation to climb it from the Nepal side, especially as climbers are drawn by the technical climbing at high altitude.

Kangchenjunga: too sacred to climb?

The debate about who is less accountable to the public: politicians or bureaucrats is as old as Nepal’s democracy itself.
Some blame politicians for being beholden to the businessmen who finance their electoral campaigns, and are forced to return the favour with contracts and kickbacks when in power.&nbsp;
Others say it is civil servants who are neither civil nor servants, and know the inner workings of the system to exploit loopholes – they then teach ministers, MPs, mayors, or ward chairs which juicy projects can be squeezed. And everyone gets their share.
In reality, it is probably not a case of either, or. Both have their hands deep in the honey pot. Corruption is now such a given that yet another exposé in the mainstream press, like the latest visit-visa scam, does not raise eyebrows anymore.
We may have to edit Lord Acton’s famous quote to say that in Nepal we do not even need absolute power to corrupt absolutely. The ruling cartel has divvied up the spoils, so that no one ever faces charges. The three parties all know about the skeletons rattling in each other’s closets, and they cancel each other out.
Politicians and bureaucrats get all the blame for taking bribes, but what of the givers of bribes? In this crony capitalism, businesses invariably need political patrons in an elaborate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-only-growth-industry-private-sector-corruption" target="_blank">national network of give-and-take</a>.
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-only-growth-industry-private-sector-corruption" target="_blank">Politicians and businesses work hand-in-glove</a> so that conflict of interest in contracts, insider trading, cartelling, and non-performing assets of banks become the norm. Our survey after the 2017 local election showed that out of the 753 newly-elected local government chairs, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/elected-contractors" target="_blank">nearly 300 were contractors</a> involved in sand-mining, quarrying, or transportation syndicates.
Nepal’s tycoons have discovered that instead of donating to election war chests of politicians, it is a much surer return on investment to spend the money to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-business-of-politics-in-nepal" target="_blank">become legislators and politicians themselves</a>.
In democracies, there are checks and balances to control corruption when it becomes endemic. The Nepal Police and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are supposed to do the detective work without political interference. The courts are required to be independent in dispensing justice and punishing crooks.
But the less said about the judiciary the better. A writ petition in the Supreme Court last week accused our sister magazine <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/" target="_blank">HimalKhabar</a> of contempt of court for two stories: one about how high courts have been overturning a majority of verdicts of district courts in cases of rape, and another about the Biratnagar High Court clearing a self-proclaimed holy man, Krishna Bahadur Giri, of rape despite police presenting physical evidence.
The doctrine of the separation of powers stipulates that it is when the other three pillars in a democracy are compromised that the role of the free press becomes even more vital. The world over, as soon as populist autocrats are elected to the executive, their first order of business is to co-opt the legislature and the judiciary. Then they buy off, intimidate, or neutralise the media with Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP).
Nepal’s officialdom seems to be taking midnight Zoom lessons from other despots on how to gag the media. Last month, popular talk show host Dil Bhushan Pathak was served an arrest warrant by the Kathmandu District Court for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CntsnTrtG8" target="_blank">a YouTube explainer</a> about the alleged involvement of the son of Foreign Minister Arzu Deuba Rana in a reported purchase of Kathmandu’s Hilton Hotel.
The Lalitpur District Court ruled that Pathak could not be arrested without fair trial, but this week the Kathmandu District Court filed another case against the journalist based on a complaint by the Cyber Bureau, and put him on a fugitive list.&nbsp;
Without going into the veracity of Pathak’s explainer, it is deeply problematic that the Electronic Transaction Act has been invoked – proof that politicians are getting the courts and investigating agencies to make an example of a high profile journalist.&nbsp;
The intention is to silence media investigations into the fake refugee scandal in which the main partner in the ruling coalition is implicated, and in which one of its former home ministers was jailed last year.
The Kathmandu High Court has been mysteriously active in targeting journalists these days. <a href="https://bizmandu.com/" target="_blank">Bizmandu</a> and <a href="https://nepalkhabar.com/" target="_blank">Nepalkhabar</a> were served a notice last month <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/no-freedom-after-expression-y4inku06" target="_blank">to withdraw a story they did</a> on the Chair of the <a href="https://www.sebon.gov.np/" target="_blank">Security and Exchange Board of Nepal (SEBON</a>) Santosh Narayan Shrestha allegedly demanding kickbacks from hydropower investors.&nbsp;
Incredibly, the court even asked the two portals not to report on the subject anymore – a ruling so absurd that the Patan High Court overturned it a week later.&nbsp;
The allegations against Shrestha were made in a public meeting of the <a href="https://www.ippan.org.np/members/3060/bungal-hydro-ltd" target="_blank">Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN)</a>, and MPs demanded a <a href="https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/parliament-demands-probe-into-sebon-chairman-over-alleged-commission-demand-40-32.html" target="_blank">Parliament inquiry</a> into the regulator. <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/144523/santosh-narayan-shrestha" target="_blank">HimalKhabar</a> reported this week that while Shrestha was reportedly demanding commissions from private investors for IPOs, he cleared primary share sales in Bajhang’s 10.75MW <a href="https://www.ippan.org.np/members/3060/bungal-hydro-ltd" target="_blank">Bungal Hydro</a> in which his family members have investments, company records show.
And then just on Monday, bureaucrats hoodwinked MPs by deleting references in a bill requiring a two-year ‘cooling off’ period under which retiring civil servants could be barred from holding constitutional positions for two years.
The contest for who is more corrupt: bureauacrats, politicians, or the private sector is on.
Kunda Dixit

SLAPPing Democracy

In 2023, northern India suffered record-breaking heat. In 2024, it broke its own record. In 2025, the Indo-Gangetic plains and the Nepal Tarai suffered a prolonged pre-monsoon heat wave and humidity, forcing closure of schools and workplaces. This week, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/europe-heat-wave-intensifies-as-fresh-warnings-issued/live-73108302">southern Europe is suffering the worst heat wave</a> since temperature records began. Football matches, tennis tournaments have been affected, and tourist sites have been closed off. Qatar has ordered a midday work curfew for Nepali and other migrant workers are the maximum temperature this week touched 45°C.&nbsp; Kathmandu Valley experienced its highest temperature in 25 years in May 2024 at 35.3°C. This year, the maximum temperature exceeded 30°C on many days — heat that till a decade ago would be considered unusual. Rains in early June also meant that towns in the mountains sweltered under high heat plus humidity.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250703090748_6975cfc2ad573f3a09ca301a299a9e92a420da7f1c5c90b8e4d061a2053dcd3e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250703090748_6975cfc2ad573f3a09ca301a299a9e92a420da7f1c5c90b8e4d061a2053dcd3e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1935" height="801" loading="lazy" alt="maximum average temperature in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Source: DHM</figcaption> </figure>  Measuring just temperature does not give a true picture of how hot it is. When humidity is factored in, the heat index this summer has been much higher in northern India and Nepal. Also, the hotter the air temperature the higher the concentration of water vapour in it. “We feel it is getting hotter, and our statistics back that up,” says Shanti Kandel at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, which issued two heat wave warnings this year, compared to 11 last year. “We need more research to analyse how humidity is make this situation worse.” <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/india-faces-alarming-30-rise-in-moist-heat-stress-over-40-years-affecting-wide-swath-of-country-imd-study/articleshow/109376863.cms?from=mdr">A recent analysis</a> by the Indian Meteorological Department has found that heat stress in that country has increased by nearly 30% over the past 40 years. Similarly, India’s Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) noted that cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, and Lucknow have experienced a 6-9% rise in relative humidity in the last decade.&nbsp; It also states that <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/majority-indian-districts-face-high-heatwave-risk-study-shows-2025-05-20/#:~:text=%22About%2057%20per%20cent%20of,usual%20number%20of%20heatwave%20days.">60% of Indian districts</a>, home to three-quarters of the country’s 1.3 billion people face a high to very high risk from extreme heat, with rising night-time temperatures and humidity. The heat index is also called ‘<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/north-indian-heat-wave-hits-nepal">wet-bulb temperature</a>’ and is a measure of how hot the human body feels when humidity levels are also high — usually much hotter than the recorded temperature. For example, a wet-bulb temperature of 35°C is considered the maximum limit of heat and humidity that humans can handle, beyond which the body cannot cool by perspiration, leading to death. One indicator of increasing humidity is a rise in average minimum temperature, and Nepal recorded the highest figure since 1981 last year, with a peak of 15.8°C. Higher minimum temperature denotes warmer nights, which in turn is an indication of heat stress caused by increasing humidity, which in turn is a result of global warming. Aside from higher average temperatures worldwide this year, what makes heat and humidity more unbearable is that cities are always hotter than their surroundings. This is due to the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/preparing-for-kathmandu-s-heat-waves">urban heat island (UHI) effect</a> – for example the temperature inside Kathmandu’s Ring Road can be hotter by <a href="https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/what-are-heat-islands">up to 4°C during the daytime and by 1 to 3°C in the evening</a> compared to the outskirts. “Climate change is one reason for rising temperature, but there are other factors like increased heat in urban spaces due to concrete buildings and infrastructure, emissions from vehicles, industries, and home appliances,” explains urban planner Bhushan Tuladhar. He adds: “Much of this comes down to how we have developed our cities, not just our roads and buildings but also our water system, waste management, culture and customs as well as economy.” There is a feedback loop at work: as it gets hotter, more energy is used for fans, coolers, and air-conditioners which in turn add to the urban heat bubble. The way to reduce the UHI effect is to have more parks, tree-lined streets and water bodies to cool cities down.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212095525002093">A recent study published in the journal Urban Climate</a> by Nepali researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Tribhuvan University, University of Groningen, etc showed that even within Kathmandu, urban forests cooled neighbourhoods by as much as 1.2°C while ponds reduced the temperature by up to 0.85°C compared to nearby houses.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250703090748_e4de75dbdfb5fcfdeb0935eda364dc16b5dca8857ba335ab0f4586ebdc5093a9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20250703090748_e4de75dbdfb5fcfdeb0935eda364dc16b5dca8857ba335ab0f4586ebdc5093a9" data-rendition-name="original" width="2580" height="1038" loading="lazy" alt="urban heat island in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Source: URBAN CLIMATE et al.</figcaption> </figure>  ‘Our results demonstrate that blue-green spaces provide significant cooling benefits across the Kathmandu Valley, with distinct patterns by type, size, design, and urban context,’ concluded the paper, whose lead author is Saurav Bhattarai at Jackson State University in the United States. The old towns in Kathmandu Valley with traditional brick and tile architecture, ponds and trees managed hot summers better. Compact houses around a courtyard gave people just the right amount of sunlight, and use of clay mortar and bricks insulated houses in winter while cooling them in summer. There were open spaces, fertile land along the floodplains for farming, and brick pavements that allowed for seepage. “Our cities were planned taking nature into account,” says Sangeeta Singh, a professor of urban planning at the Institute of Engineering. “Kathmandu Valley is now built up, but we can still reintegrate blue-blue spaces into town planning with vertical gardening, urban forestry, using local material and harvesting rainwater.”&nbsp; Kathmandu’s municipalities have by-laws controlling building design and structure, but strict enforcement of land use and zoning are missing. Extreme heat disproportionately affects the urban poor who may not have access to fans or air-conditioners, exacerbating poverty.&nbsp; Cities in the plains have it even worse. As heat and humidity rise simultaneously, it could <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/garmi-se-behal-chalo-nepal">reverse the current mass migration</a> of people from the mountains to the Tarai, where 53% of Nepal’s population lives. <a href="https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/92fbbbc6180238e18e7b239fad83e38a-0280032024/original/12-DHNT-Temperature-poverty-inequality-September-2024.pdf">A World Bank study</a> put the cost of a 1°C rise in temperature at 17.1% increase in poverty globally. Estimates put the total number of urban poor in developing countries exposed to the worst heat extremes at 26 million presently, this number is bound to grow to 215 million by mid-century, an over eight-fold increase. Meanwhile, 489,000 health-related deaths occur each year, 45% of them in Asia alone. “Heat has to be seen from a class perspective,” says Singh. “Those with money can afford gadgets and appliances to keep their homes and offices cool, but not day labourers or poor families living in cramped housing with poor ventilation.” Climate breakdown is going to widen the class divide in cities, as <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/unthinkable-in-the-current-climate">summers become unliveable</a>. Says Singh: “We need policy intervention to address this class injustice. Our building by-laws and new town development must urgently integrate climate and energy efficiency elements.”

In the heat of the moment

The monsoon this year arrived on time, and brought life-giving rain — irrigating paddy terraces, recharging groundwater, reviving springs, and increasing electricity generation.
But Nepal has to deal with either too much water or too little. On a clear April day before the monsoon, the hills of Sindhuli district were parched, and there were wildfires burning out of control. There had been no rain for the past six months.
And that has been the perennial crisis for Nepal’s farmers: that 85% of the rainfall occurs during just four months of the monsoon with little rain for the other eight months.&nbsp;
The water crisis is related to the powerful changes sweeping the mid-hill region of Nepal. With better roads, higher incomes and more exposure, many residents now aspire to have the kind of water supply seen in urban homes. They want hot or cold water at the turn of a tap, showers and flush tank toilets.&nbsp;
To meet this rising demand, many local and provincial governments are investing in large water supply projects often by lifting water from rivers hundreds of metres down the mountain. But these new systems may not be sustainable in the long run.
Many villages in Sindhuli are switching from local springs to piped systems, and even in rural homes, overhead tanks are becoming common.
But this new convenience comes with big challenges. Lifting water from rivers far below requires long pipes, electric pumps, and constant maintenance. These systems are costly, and the streams themselves often shrink to a trickle in the dry months. Big water-lifting schemes look impressive, but there is doubt if they can meet growing water demand.
A much more sustainable solution would be what some communities are doing: restoring old ponds or build new recharge systems. But those villages are exceptions, in most places traditional ponds and wallows are being filled up to be turned into sports fields, or make way for buildings.
Where there are new ponds, they are sometimes in the wrong places or without proper design. Roads and drains are not engineered properly and have increased landslides and erosion. Water management in hilly areas is not just about building things, it is about building in the right way, in the right place.
Traditional water systems were based on nature. They were not perfect, but they used the land wisely. Ponds used to hold rainwater and slowly refill springs which supported families, farms, and forests.&nbsp;
Not everything worked well in the past, but we can learn from traditional water management practices. Across Nepal, some rural municipalities have launched campaigns to store monsoon runoff — either in tanks, ponds or by recharging the aquifers.
But not all efforts have been successful. Some ponds are built without any hydrological study. Some are rushed to meet deadlines rather than real needs.&nbsp;
Now, the Muhan initiative hopes to revive springs to make households more resilient and help farmings. With the financial support of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, research is being done to understand how springs work and how they are affected by changes in rainfall, land use, and development.&nbsp;
Instead of just building pipes and tanks, the project maps the entire springshed so we can understand the root cause of water shortage. In Sindhuli, the problem is not the amount of rain, but the loss of natural systems that store it and the social systems that manage water.&nbsp;
Nepal’s towns and villages now face a major challenge: how to manage water all year round as demand rises with people’s living standards. Depending only on river-lift systems is not a sustainable solution.&nbsp;
We need a mix of approaches that help store water from the rainy season to make it available for the rest of the year, whether by directly harvesting rainwater, restoring ponds, managing springsheds, or smart management of demand.
Rural Nepal is also seeing dramatic depopulation. Much of the outmigration can be stemmed if there is easier water supply for agriculture and household use. Across the mid hills, villages are emptying because springs are going dry. Government policy needs to catch up with the reality on the ground, and support solutions that work for people and nature. Every water supply plan should include recharge structures. Every road or building project should consider water flow and erosion. Local governments need more than budgets: they need training, tools, and data.
Ngamindra Dahal is with the Nepal Water Conservation Foundation, Kathmandu. Hemant Ojha collaborated in this piece and is associated with the Australian National University.

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